Friday, October 03, 2008

OU Just Misses Big Upset


Reading, MA - Origins Unknown and the Crusty Muskets got together for a memorable battle Thursday night at the Burbank YMCA. OU's fearless foursome of players brought their best efforts but came up two points short, losing on two free throws with only four seconds left.

The game was a match of size vs. speed, power vs. movement, and evil vs. all that is good in the world. The Crusty Muskets came into the game with an impressive 3-0 record, with all victories being 20 points or more. OU has also started strong at 2-1, with only a 1-point fluke loss to Evans as a blemish.

The first half belonged to OU... Although mismatched down low, OU held their own in the paint. Shu-ter Patel and James "Stretch" Hogan IV were tasked with shutting down big Doug and his thick cousin. While this allowed CM to get to the bucket on offense, it also opened up the floor for OU on the other end of the court. Hogan slashed to the bucket trip after trip, and also stepped out to the perimeter to screen for Cap'n Mike to pop and pull some jumpers.

As the clock moved, so did OU's lead. Defensively, they were only giving up tough buckets to the Muskets, while sharing the ball and running to a 5 point lead at the half.

The second half started slow for OU, and a five-minute drought left them down two with 15 minutes left. At that point, Chris "Big Country" Johnson sauntered into the gym after his work function. Unfortunately, he was wearing a shirt and tie, and not his OU uniform. While OU could have used Big Country's help, they tightened their sneaker laces and kept at work.

There was nothing pretty about the game's final 10 minutes, but OU managed to keep the game tight. After starting slow, Shu-ter Patel nailed two giant three-pointers to give OU the lead. On the other end, Leroy Johnson was struggling and the offensive load was back squarely on Doug and cousin's shoulders. They proved to be tough to handle, and after some free throws with under a minute left, took a three point lead.

OU came down and worked the ball around to eventually find an open Cap'n Mike beyond the three point line. For the first time in the second half, he finally buried the shot and tied the game with under 20 seconds left. The Muskets came down and moved the ball around, eventually deciding that brute force was the only way to go. The big cousin drove the lane, and as Hogan jumped in front of him, he was fouled and headed to the line. He calmly sank both free throws and after a last second heave by Hogan, the game was over.

OU looks to bounce back next week against league newcomers, Stiffler's Mom.

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